Work It! - Incorporating healthy activity into your routine

Hello again!

I can't believe how fast last week flew by! I leave Turkey in less than two months. It doesn't feel real! Andrew and I have been applying for jobs for next year. No word back yet, but wish us luck!

Now, on to the good stuff: working out!

We hear it over and over again: at least 30 minutes a day 5 days a week. It doesn't sound like much, but when you actually make yourself do it, it certainly feels that way. I'm a 20-something, not married, no kids, and only working part-time, so I can only imagine what it's like for people who have families and full-time jobs.

When I first got to Turkey, I had a plan. I was going to find a gym, train for a 15K, and keep improving my fitness level. Needless to say, that didn't really happen. The gyms here in Malatya were mediocre at best, and women here don't really lift weights. Security concerns curtailed my efforts to seriously train for the Istanbul Marathon/Half Marathon/15K race, and I had to cover up more than I'm used to while running. Regardless, I was still doing at-home workouts and running a few days a week. But by November, my desire to workout was next to none. It was starting to get dark earlier, the nights were getting cold, and my students were difficult to deal with. I was stressed, tired, and experiencing major culture shock.

No shorts and tank tops here in Malatya, even in 80+ degree weather :(

On a good week, I would do maybe two at-home workouts, run twice a week, and walk to and from work. On a bad week, I'd go to work, come home, and sit on my butt watching TV or scrolling through Facebook looking at people's holiday celebration photos. Winter in Turkey really got me down.

After my winter break shenanigans in Eastern Europe and Egypt, I suddenly felt more motivated. I think getting out and seeing somewhere new helped spring me from my funk. The weather getting nicer certainly helped. I started by setting a goal for myself: run 3 days a week, do yoga 4 nights a week, and do 3 body weight workouts a week. For the last two months, I have consistently run at least 3 days a week and done yoga 4 nights a week. The body weight workouts have proved a bit more difficult, but I'm working on it! Slowly but surely.

Many people say, "I don't have time to work out. I'm too busy." Well, when was the last time you picked up your phone and scrolled through Instagram for 30 minutes? Today? Yesterday? The day before? I'm totally guilty too. Those 30 minutes could have been a walk, some push ups and squats, or even a video from YouTube! Fitness doesn't have to mean 3 hours at the gym. It's as simple as putting your phone on Airplane mode and getting sweaty for less time than it takes to stalk your best friend's enemy on Facebook (also guilty!).

Last week, I told you all about the app I use to keep my routine on track. This week, I'll show you the running and workout apps and YouTube videos I use.

For running, I use Runtastic. I have it on my phone. It tracks distance, calories burned, average pace, duration, elevation change, and more. You can use it for running, walking, hiking, and many other fitness activities, although I can't verify the accuracy of the calories burned feature. The distance accuracy is great! You can connect it with fitness trackers too.

On my way to beating March's activity level!

For workouts, I use Daily Workout. You can choose different workouts, including abs, arms, legs, cardio, and full body. You can also choose the duration, from 5 to 20 minutes. It has a timer and videos that show you how to do the moves. Many of them use little to no equipment. I have resistance bands that I use instead of dumbbells, but you can use water bottles, rocks, whatever! One downside about this app is that you have to use it for I think 2 hours before you can unlock different workouts. However, it's good motivation to keep using the app!

Arms workout #1

I've been using YouTube for my yoga videos, and I started looking for workout videos here too. 

My favorite yogis on YouTube are Adriene and Candace. Adriene is really silly and down to earth. She makes funny comments during her practice, and it doesn't feel super serious or hippy-dippy to me. She has a 30 days of yoga challenge as well as yoga for certain situations. Candace is more subdued and straight to business. Again, she isn't a "open your 3rd chakra and awaken your inner goddess" type (what does that even mean?!!??!). She has videos based on the amount of time you have or the part of your body you want to work on. 

For workouts, I recently found Fitness Blender. They're a husband and wife team that have created over 500 free workout videos based on time, difficulty level, muscle group focus, and more. I did a HIIT (high intensity interval training) video on Thursday, and Monday morning, my calves are still sore!

Do you have any apps or YouTube videos that you like to use for running and working out? Share them with us in the comments!

Until next time,

Heather

xoxo